Optical fiber cables have been used in underwater applications to transmit and receive information. For example, an underwater device can have a propulsion system and a direction control mechanism. The underwater device can be deployed by a support ship and an optical fiber cable can be coupled between the underwater device and the support ship. The support ship can transmit control information to the underwater device that is used to operate the direction control mechanism. As the underwater device moves through the water, the optical cable remains in the water behind the underwater device. After the underwater vehicle has completed its mission, the vehicle can travel back to the support ship so that it can be retrieved. However, rather than retrieving the optical fiber cable, it is typically cut and left in the sea.
The optical fiber cable can then sink to the bottom of the sea and this waste can remain in the water indefinitely. In addition to polluting the water, the optical fiber cable can get tangled in other vessels travelling through the water and be a hazard to fish and marine life that contact the cable. In order to avoid this pollution, what is needed is an optical fiber cable that is biodegradable.